Don't Let Go

twenty

Abrar stood in front of the long mirror in their room as he applied hair gel, gazing at Haya from the corner of his eyes once in a while. For the past half an hour, she has been following him around everywhere in the room, wanting to say something but stopped herself as she didn't have enough courage. He too delayed his morning routine just to see how long will it take for her to muster up the courage and come talk to him. He realized that it won't happen anytime soon, with an inward sigh he gave himself a final glance at the mirror and started walking out of the room, but finally, Haya tugged at his hand and stopped him.

"Abrar..." biting her lips hesitantly, Haya dragged him to sit on the bed. He gave her a curious look as she too sat beside him.

"I-i know what I did yesterday was very wrong of me. I should have told you earlier about Farhan but I was scared..." She stopped in between and stared at his face to find his reaction, he was rather calm and composed.

"Scared of what?" he finally spoke something making her sigh in relief.

"You..." she mumbled incoherently, Abrar held the bedsheet tightly to control himself, he was starting to get angry with each passing second as the image of that bastard hugging his wife and proposing her to marriage flashed in front of his eyes again.

"Tell me honestly, Haya... Do you also like that guy?"

"I don't want to lie to you," Haya mumbled lowly making him snap his head towards her.

"I had this massive crush on him before I came here, he was my next-door neighbour and I knew him for almost all my life. He has been there with me in my ups and downs. We went to school together and studied college together. We both shared the same dreams, that was fashion designing and we both pursued the same. He was a year older than me so he graduated fast and had the facility to open his own fashion house and I even joined there for my internship. That day too, he has called to collect the designs which I was helping him with. We've been best friends for eighteen something years and have liked each other for a long time. He went to Florida for attending a fashion show as he represented his company there. He said that he'd propose to me after coming back and I eagerly waited for him to return. But that day never came... His stay over there was delayed and we started talking less. He had a lot of workloads and I was busy writing my final exams. And then I came here, rest you know." Haya took a huge breath as she finished narrating the background story.

"Do you still like him?" is all he asked, anger building up from within hearing his wife talk about some other man with admiration. The fact that she liked someone else was making him feel worse. He needs to know if she liked him or not.

"I used to. Now I don't." Abrar felt relieved as he heard those words.

"Are you sure though?" he couldn't help but be insecure. She gave him a small nod. It was true though; she has forgotten all about Farhan and her crush on him. Haya had no idea of how did that happen, maybe because he was her friend first and there weren't any sparks. The crush happened because they've spent too much time together and now it is gone, for good.

"I thought it would be unfair to just tell him over a text or call you know... that I've gotten married to someone. He deserved to know everything face to face. At the same time, I was scared to tell you all of this. I know I promised you but I don't know what came over me... I left without informing you. That was my mistake and I'm really sorry for that." A drop of tear rolled down her cheeks but he wiped them away with his thumb as he made her face him.

"It's okay. You should have told me, but I understand what you're trying to say. I'm telling you again, stay away from him. The Shah family and his father go a long way back. The Sheikhs are not the nicest persons I can assure you that. So, the next time he tries to contact you, tell me. Don't be scared." Haya nodded her head at that, although she really hoped that he's not mad anymore.